And your bad #2 hitter was just off the league lead in bunts.Originally Posted by Lewdog
You need to be able to play small ball when it matters, in late game situations. Having your entire offensive strategy be small ball is a recipe for abject disaster, imo.
jvs
Well the largest problem is how the lineup was set. Baker absolutely would not put two lefties together in the lineup. Bruce should have been hitting cleanup. If Bruce was batting clean up, Votto would get more good pitches because they would be afraid if they walk Votto, Bruce will hit a two run HR. Phillips should have been hitting 5th or 6th in the lineup.
CF Hamilton
Whoever is going to play left field
1B Votto
RF Bruce
2B Phillips
3B Frazier
C Mesoraco
SS Cozart
Pitcher
That is the line up the Reds need to use in my opinion.
Call me crazy but Bruce gives away so many ABs that I wouldn't be afraid to pitch to him either. He's more likely to roll over on a first pitch curveball and hit a 16 hopper to 2nd or watch 2 fastballs right down the middle only to K on a 55 foot curveball as he is to really hurt me.
Couldn't have said it better myself jvs. If your confidence is that low in your #2 hitter, then you need to find a new one.
Boston finished 27th in sacrifice hits, Detroit 21st, Tampa 28th, St. Louis 11th (low for an NL team). I don't buy the bunting=wins philosophy
I don't think the argument here was really when or when not to play small ball, it was more about this teams lack of execution in those spots when it was needed, or called upon. Like it or not, it's something that really good teams are able to do. Especially when the weather gets colder and the playoffs start, pitching matchups become tougher, and it's vital to be able to manufacture a run.
markymark69 (10-24-2013),Old school 1983 (10-23-2013),RedlegJake (10-23-2013)
Bunting early in a game always bugs me unless its the pitcher. Having your 2 hitter bunt always bugs me. If your 2 hitter is that bad you made out a bad lineup card or have a crappy roster. Giving away outs is rarely a good idea - now having Robinson or Hamilton bunting is a chance at a hit, too, so that is a different breed of cat. Plus the pressure their speed puts on a defense. Sometimes, late, playing for 1 run to tie or win, a bunt can be a better percentage move. Those situations are not that common. I do not want my team leading or near the lead in sac bunts. Especially since so few of them can bunt worth a darn to begin with.
If you look back at the great hitters, lots and lots of them have high DP numbers. You have men on base in front of you regularly, you are going to hit into a lot of DPs.
99% of all numbers only tell 33% of the story so when looking at the numbers remember that numbers is plural...
Getting back to Mike Leake, I have liked him since he became a Red. He seems very smart, although that stealing shirts thing was a head scratcher. I chalk that up to youthful brainfart. He isn't a power pitcher so he has to outsmart the hitters. He's a lot like BA in that regard. I'm sure he looks at Bronson as a role model. And I love the way he competes at the plate and on base. Cingrani is the same way.
So, is your argument that the Reds were able to play small ball only when it was unnecessary?
My point was this team needs to improve their situational hitting. Rather it be hitting to the right side when necessary to move a runner up, sacrifice bunting, or a sac fly to get a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs. This team played poor fundamental baseball in all of those areas and those are things they need to be tightened up.
joshua (10-24-2013)
The stats have been posted showing they lead the majors in Sacrifice Bunts and they were 9th in Sacrifice Flies. There is no stat for ground outs moving up runners, so we can't prove or disprove that one. Since they are in the top 3rd of both sacrifice categories, the only conclusion that I could come to is that they were doing those things, but only at inopportune times. I'm trying to see your side, that's all.
It's really something you have to notice while you watch the games, because the stats can be misleading when you have two guys on the team with over a .400 OBP.
The Reds need to improve on their ability to get on base. Having 2 guys with an OBP over .330 isn't going to cut it.
They should be looking for ways to avoid making outs, not ways to give up more outs.
joshua (10-24-2013)
I'd trade an out for a run every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
PriceIsRight (10-24-2013)
Ball players aren't unlike most every other professional...sometimes they need to be motivated. Nothing wrong with that...not everyone has that internal drive 100% of the time.
If nothing else, a manager's got to be able to do that...and it's not always done in a rah-rah way...sometimes it's through accountability, through discipline, through structure and other ways. If Dusty had that at any time during his tenure with the Reds, he certainly lost that ability in '13.
I'm sorry, but I'm not just a box score lurker...
The Red Sox led the major leagues in team OBP (beat the Reds by 22 points). They had 57 less sacrifices than the Reds. Are they poor situational hitters? I know, I know, they are American League, so no pitchers hitting. My argument is busted. Out of curiosity, let's take a look at the Cardinals...
The Cardinals finished 3rd in the majors in OBP (5 points above the Reds). They had 29 less sacrifice bunts than the Reds and 2 less sacrifice flies. Are they poor situational hitters?
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